Crimson Tide vs. Tigers: Which Team Has the Brighter Future in 2012?

Alabama and Auburn were the last two SEC representatives in the national championship game, and it looks like the Tide will once again keep the state’s presence in college football’s big game alive—just as long as the boys in crimson can take care of business this weekend in the annual Iron Bowl.

Both of these squads have established themselves as consistent championship contenders for years to come, and we'll likely see the Tigers and the Tide square off in a few of their own “Games of the Century.”

Nick Saban and Gene Chizik each have their respective programs running like well-oiled college football machines, even though the Tigers have gone through a bit of a down year this season after last year’s championship run.

Both of these teams are expected to be in the thick of the race to win the SEC West next season, but which of them actually has the better outlook for next year?

A lot of that will depend on how many early entrants the Tide end up losing to the 2012 NFL draft.

We know guys like S Mark Barron, LB Courtney Upshaw, C William Vlachos, WR Marquis Maze and DT Josh Chapman are all gone, but what about difference-makers like Dont’a Hightower, Robert Lester or Dre Kirkpatrick.

Or even guys like Barrett Jones and D.J. Fluker, two underclassmen offensive linemen who can each be high picks in next year's draft.

RB Trent Richardson is as good as gone, which means Eddie Lacy will be the new main man in the ‘Bama backfield. The offense will be hurt by the loss of Richardson, but if Jones and Fluker both return, the nucleus is there for success.

It’s on defense where the Tide will likely really need to be concerned.

You don’t take away players like Barron, Upshaw, Chapman, Lester, Kirkpatrick and Hightower and not feel some major aftershocks.

And then you’re also losing consistent cogs like Jerrell Harris and DeQuan Menzie.

I know that Alabama is the type of high-level recruiting team that simply reloads instead of rebuilding, but those kind of major hits can punch a lot of glaring holes in a depth chart.

Auburn, on the other hand, will return almost all of its key starters from this season, including 2012 Heisman candidate RB Michael Dyer.

The never-ending fight for power between these two programs is certainly going to get ratcheted up a notch next season as Auburn looks to climb back in the West division mix.

This year, the heated battle looks like it will be won by Alabama, unless the 21-point underdog Tigers can somehow pull off one of the biggest upsets of the season.

Next year, though, the roles might just be reversed